1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of storing a content of a three-dimensional image, and particularly to a method of storing a content of a three-dimensional image that can utilizes a processor that can compress bits for storing a depth information map according to a depth information map corresponding to each frame of a three-dimensional image signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally speaking, three-dimensional image formats can be divided into a side-by-side three-dimensional image format, a top-and-bottom three-dimensional image format, a frame packing three-dimensional image format, and a two-dimensional image plus depth information three-dimensional image format, where the side-by-side three-dimensional image format can be further divided into a side-by-side-full (LR-full) three-dimensional image format and a side-by-side-half (LR-half) three-dimensional image format.
As shown in FIG. 1, each frame of the LR-full three-dimensional image format includes a left eye image and a right eye image, where sizes of the left eye image and the right eye image of the LR-full three-dimensional image format are equal to size of a normal two-dimensional image. Therefore, storage space occupied by each frame of the LR-full three-dimensional image format is two times storage space for storing a normal two-dimensional image.
As shown in FIG. 2, each frame of the LR-half three-dimensional image format also includes a left eye image and a right eye image, where horizontal size of each of the left eye image and the right eye image is decreased to 50% and vertical size of each of the left eye image and the right eye image is not changed. Therefore, storage space occupied by each frame of the LR-half three-dimensional image format is equal to storage space for storing a normal two-dimensional image, but resolution of the LR-half three-dimensional image format is a half of resolution of a normal two-dimensional image.
As shown in FIG. 3, each frame of the top-and-bottom three-dimensional image format includes a left eye image and a right eye image from the top down, respectively, where vertical size of each of the left eye image and the right eye image is decreased to 50% and horizontal size of each of the left eye image and the right eye image is not changed. Therefore, storage space occupied by each frame of the top-and-bottom three-dimensional image format is equal to storage space for storing a normal two-dimensional image, but resolution of the top-and-bottom three-dimensional image format is a half of resolution of a normal two-dimensional image.
As shown in FIG. 4, a difference between each frame of the frame packing three-dimensional image format and each frame of the top-and-bottom three-dimensional image format is that sizes of a left eye image and a right eye image included in each frame of the frame packing three-dimensional image format is equal to size of a normal two-dimensional image, and a 45-pixel black frame existing between a left eye image and a right eye image included in each frame of the frame packing three-dimensional image format. Therefore, storage space occupied by each frame of the frame packing three-dimensional image format is equal to a sum of two times storage space for storing a normal two-dimensional image and storage space for storing a 45-pixel black frame.
As shown in FIG. 5, an arrangement method of the two-dimensional image plus depth information three-dimensional image format is the same as an arrangement method of the side-by-side three-dimensional image format, but a left side image of each frame of the two-dimensional image plus depth information three-dimensional image format is a normal two-dimensional image and a right side image of each frame of the two-dimensional image plus depth information three-dimensional image format is gray-level depth information map. Therefore, storage space occupied by each frame of the two-dimensional image plus depth information three-dimensional image format is two times storage space for storing a normal two-dimensional image.
To sum up, the above mentioned three-dimensional image formats provided by the prior art either need larger storage space or have poorer resolution. Therefore, how to compress the above mentioned three-dimensional image formats provided by the prior art and not to reduce resolution of the above mentioned three-dimensional image formats provided by the prior art is an important issue for a designer of a play device or a storage device.